I Need A Hero
by Scardie Kat
Summary: All Abbie Merlyn wanted to do was visit China, she didn't expect the boat to sink and the next 5 hellish years of her life. Now Abbie and Oliver are back in Starling and have to adjust to the new route their lives have taken. Reconnecting with family and friends is going to get difficult with all the secrets the two share. Oliver/OC
1. Chapter 1

Okay...so long time reader, first time writer for the Arrow fandom! I am a big Olicity fan, but this story just wouldn't leave me alone. I hope some of you out there enjoy it. This is going to be completely Oliver/OC (please don't hate!) Drop a review and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: Sadly I own nothing.

* * *

**I Need a Hero**

"Abigail Merlyn," Robert Queen beamed as he saw the young girl making her way down the pier. She tried to bite back her smile as her grip tightened on her duffle bag. "Last we talked you decided school was more important than a business trip to China."

"My professors let me take the semester off, treat it as an internship. I couldn't pass up China." This time she did smile, allowing Robert to pull her into a hug.

"Does Malcolm know you're here, Abbie?"

"Have you ever seen Malcolm Merlyn cry?" She asked as Robert choked on a laugh. "That's because I don't tell him things like this."

"He'd be proud of you, sweetheart." Abigail smiled as she pointed to the Queen's Gambit, the boat they'd be taking across the pacific to China.

"I'm just going to put up my things." He nodded as she moved onto the boat.

Abigail moved through the small hallway before throwing her bag onto a bed in one of the cabins. She pulled out her phone, debating on whether or not to call her father. At the very least she thought that she could tell her brother that she'd be leaving. They both thought she was heading back to Princeton today, instead she was leaving for China and there was no way she was going to miss out on meeting the investors Robert had planned to introduce her to. A week was plenty of time to work up the courage to let her dad know that she was being taken under the wing of his close friend, albeit competitor.

She put another smile on her face as she left the room and made her way back up to the dock to wait with Robert. She was surprised to see Moira hugging her husband when she finally made it back onto the dock.

"Abigail, I had no idea you'd be joining Robert." Moira said as she pulled away from her husband and staring shocked between the two. "Does your father know you're going?"

"No, I'll call him from China. He's less likely to ground me if I'm on a different continent."

"Got room for one more?" Oliver's voice pulled the attention of the small group. Abigail's expression went from smiling to disappointment in a second flat. "Abs, didn't know you were coming."

"I decided last night. Your dad asked me if I wanted to learn some more about the company and meet some of the investors." She told him, both giving each other forced smiles as they tried to glare down at each other.

"No, Oliver." Moira said as sternly as she could. "You've got school."

"No, not really." He said, shaking his head and sharing a look with Abigail, before turning to his father. "I forgot to tell you that."

"This is good." Robert announced cheerfully. "He could learn a thing or two from this little girl. We could be staring at the next power couple of Queen Consolidated."

"Dad," Oliver sighed as Abigail scoffed.

"You both laugh, but if I had my way you two would be the next CEO and CFO of that company." The tired look Oliver gave him only prompted Robert to continue. "Hey son, you don't want it then I can turn the company over to her. She's more than capable of being CEO."

"That's nice dad. Can we at least call off the arranged marriage, then?"

"Don't be silly, Ollie. I've already put a down payment on our summer vacation home in Tahiti." Abigail joked as she bumped his side softly. Oliver couldn't hold back a smile this time, placing an arm around her as he pulled her closer into his side.

"Why didn't you say anything, you know I hate islands." He said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. Abigail couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips.

"That's okay, I'll use it for all my torrid affairs I plan on having." His smile faltered for a moment, not escaping Abigail's notice. "I was with Sara last night." She said even quieter.

"Abbie, I…" Oliver watched her carefully.

A throat clearing from beside them pulled the two apart, both smiling as they turned back to his parents. Oliver's arm immediately dropped away from Abigail as she took a few steps away from him. Moira was staring at them with a look of concern, but Robert had a large knowing smile on his face.

"Will you both be careful?" Moira asked as she stepped towards her son to embrace him. "I love you so much."

Abigail noticed the car pull up about the same time Oliver did. She tried her best to pull his parents attention back to her as he went to talk to Laurel. Robert put an arm around her as he continued to talk to Moira about all of his future plans for the company. Abigail barely heard a word they were saying as she watched the couple at the entrance to the marina. She finally felt herself relax when she saw Oliver jogging back down to meet them.

"Ready?" He asked as she stepped behind Abigail, an arm wrapping across the front of her shoulders. He didn't wait before steering Abigail back towards the boat.

"How's Laurel?" She asked when she was finally able to break away from him.

"Said she'd miss me and gave me a picture, too."

"Oh, is it a dirty one?" Abigail laughed as he gave her an exasperated look. "Oliver, you love her don't you?"

"I don't know." He said as he stared down at the picture in his hand.

"Well you need to figure it out, because this thing between you and Sara is not good for anyone."

"And you know what's good for me?" He asked, moving to stand directly in front of her. "What if I'm just waiting for the right girl?"

"Yeah and what's she like? Model body with a high alcohol tolerance and a hell cat in the sack?" She asked with a smirk. Oliver openly smiled at her, his hands finding her hips to pull her closer.

"Not sure about the sex, but two out of three isn't bad." He said as he dipped his head to whisper in her ear. "Although, I wouldn't mind seeing what you're like in bed."

Abigail pushed him away, trying to look offended. It was hard to stay angry with that boyish smile on his face. Instead she swatted his hands away as he reached out for her hips once more.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Oliver. You just might get to keep them." She called over her shoulder.

"Kids, we're about to head out." Robert called out to them.

Abigail nodded as she headed into her room, leaving the two men alone in the hall. Robert steered his son into another room, closing the door before making himself a drink.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Robert asked as he took a sip of the scotch.

"What, Abs?" Oliver asked as he got comfortable on the couch. "We've been friends for years, Dad. We're just messing around, she's like a sister…or cousin."

"I don't believe that for a second. You've been in love with her since you were eight." Robert said as he took a seat across from his son. "You probably don't remember this but we went to her first ballet recital. She was in this pink tutu and you said, and I quote 'I'm going to marry her, Dad.'"

"I said that?" Oliver asked with a laugh.

"I know I've always joked about the two of you, but it's inevitable, son. You just need to grow up first. She's not like the other girls. She won't give you a chance until she knows you're done screwing around."

"She's nineteen." Oliver said.

"So is Sara." With that Robert left, heading up to the deck. Oliver sat there thinking about his father's words.

He got up to pour himself a drink. He couldn't stop replaying the smile Abigail gave him earlier. The feeling he got in his stomach was nothing new, but this time it had a new weight. He knew he'd have Abigail by his side for the rest of his life, but never thought of how she'd be there.

It was strange to envision her at QC as an executive, he'd always thought she'd show up to visit him. She'd bring dinner when he'd have to work late, and maybe there'd be pictures of them together on his desk. The thought that really terrified him though was the idea of her disappearing. She was beautiful and could have any man. God knew there were plenty out there just waiting for a chance to be with her. Finishing off his scotch, he left the office only to find his dad carefully leading Abigail back to her room.

"Is it bad?" Oliver asked, moving closer to Abigail and taking her arm.

"We're going to turn back." Robert said. "You two stay down here, try to relax."

Abigail nodded, stepping into Oliver as he turned her into her room. Her fingers found his as she pulled him in behind her. "Storm's terrify me." She admitted.

Oliver sat with her on the bed, taking her into his arms to help her relax. It didn't take long for her to fall against his chest, his arms circling her. Abigail's fingers ran down his arm, tracing over his smooth skin.

"Laurel will be happy when we get back." She said quietly.

"Yeah, we have a lot to talk about." He sighed against her hair.

"You're going to tell her about Sara?" She asked turning to stare at him shocked. "Wow, Ollie."

"That and probably tell her I don't want to move in together."

"Are you going to break up, again?"

"Probably," he said staring down at her. "It's time I grew up."

"Really, you think leaving Laurel will make you grow up? She's good for you."

"What if there's someone better?" He asked staring down at their joined hands.

"Come on, Ollie. She's the best out there for you. It takes a strong woman to put up with your shit."

"Thanks, Abs." He sighed, moving away from her slightly.

"You're welcome. You know I'm here to tell you shit like this. Kind of like a mirror."

"There's no way I look as good as you." He smiled.

"Don't do this, Oliver." She sighed completely moving away from him. "I'm not some club girl that you can charm your way into my pants."

"No, you're way more than that. Come on, Abbie. We could be good together."

"We are good, but I'd be great alone. Your dad really is helping me. I want to be a CEO one day. Dad won't give me Global, but if you don't want QC I'm going to take it. If I were to finally break down and be with you, I'd Oliver Queen's girlfriend, wife, whatever. I'm already Malcolm Merlyn's daughter, and I can't take another title like that."

"I think you'd make an amazing CEO, Abigail."

"Thanks, but so would you Oliver." The two smiled at each other, their hands still clasped together. Abigail screeched as the boat pitched forward. "Ollie!" She cried as she reached out for him.

The rushing of the water was heard then. Everything happened quickly. One minute they were surrounded by freezing water, the next they were huddled together on a life raft. Abigail kept her arms wrapped around Oliver's middle as he pressed his lips to her wet hair. The feel of her warm tears sent shivers through her body.

"Hey, you're going to be okay." Robert said.

Abigail glanced up at him, her grip tightening on Oliver. "What do we do? Someone's going to come looking for us, right?"

"Shhh," Robert said, placing his hand on her cheek, thumb rubbing away her tears. "You need to rest."

Abigail nodded, burying herself into Oliver's chest. His arm held her close, one hand running over her hair. He could feel her breathing slow against his chest. He wasn't sure how long it took before she was asleep.

"Dad," Oliver said quietly. "They are looking for us, right?"

"The storm's too strong, even if they did we'd be a long way off from the wreckage. And if they do eventually look, it'd be days at least." Robert said wrapping an arm around his son. "Don't worry about it now. Just hold onto her."


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you! It's amazing to see all of the supportive reviews. And because of that I am going to put up the second chapter today! Don't expect updates to be this quick all the time, but review tend to motivate me a little bit more.

* * *

It amazed Oliver that after all this time, he still felt obligated to follow his father's last request. As he stared down at Abigail, curled tightly into a ball, she was shivering. It had been days of her fitfully resting and only getting worse. He knew she was weak and feverish, but not even the herbs were helping her this time. When he saw the boat, all he knew was he had to get their attention. If they didn't get rescued today, he'd have to bury another person he loved on this hellish island.

Oliver couldn't keep his eyes off the island as the fishing boat moved further and further away. It felt as though it was pulling him back. He only looked away when he felt Abigail shift beside him. She was pale and barely conscious. He reached for another cup of water to put to her lips. She coughed as she tried to drink down some of the liquid. All he could do was hold her close until they were back on land.

"Ollie," Abigail rasped out as he held her to his side.

"It's okay, we're safe." He promised as he kissed her temple. She relaxed against him, falling back to sleep from exhaustion. "Please stay with me, Abbie. You're strong, remember. Just a little longer." He kept her plastered to his side until the boat was docked.

The Chinese hospital was a nightmare of its own. The second the pair was brought in, they were pulled apart. Oliver fought like hell to stay with her, but even the doctors assuring him Abigail wouldn't be far didn't stop him from fighting against them. It took at least a half dozen orderlies and a sedative to get him into an exam room of his own.

It was late in the day before he could see her again.

"Where are we?" She asked hoarsely. Oliver nearly fell out of his chair at the sound of her voice.

"China, in a hospital. Tomorrow we're flying back home."

"Really?" A small smile broke across her face.

"Promise," he smiled down at her. He hovered over her bed, hand running through her hair, the other clasped tightly in her fingers. "I'm just glad you're alive."

"You look different, good different." She smiled.

"You'll get your turn. They wanted you to get healthy first." He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm going to get a doctor."

"Oliver, we're really safe now, right?" She asked as he reached the door. He turned, giving her a small nod before moving out to the hallway.

It was several more hours before Abigail was given another moment to herself. The doctors poked and prodded, taking more tests than she'd ever had done on her. After all the testing she was then allowed to shower, embarrassingly enough she had to have another woman help her because she was still too weak.

"Ms. Merlyn," a nurse called from behind the bathroom door. Abigail couldn't stop staring at her reflection.

Her dark hair had been chopped to just below her ears. It was the easiest way to get rid of the knots. She was thin, but there was still definite definition to her body from the years she'd spent fighting to survive. There were lean muscles all over her body, only separated by a variety of scars. She'd seen Oliver's body numerous times and knew that his was worse, but this was the first time in too long that she'd had the opportunity to look at herself.

"Ms. Merlyn, are you alright?" The nurse called again, softly tapping on the door.

"Fine," she smiled opening the door. "Is the plane ready?"

"Yes, miss. Mr. Queen is waiting in the hallway. It's a long flight back to Starling City."

Abigail nodded, following the woman down the hall. Her heart finally stilled when she saw Oliver turn to them. In only a handful of strides, he was by her side and taking her hand. There was security to escort them to a car that would take them to a private airfield. Luckily, it was nearing three in the morning and no one had caught onto their reappearance yet.

Once on the plane, Abigail fell against Oliver's side on the couch. It was strange to feel as if their old life was suddenly crashing back into them. The private jet and all its amenities were all too familiar.

"Have you talked to anyone?" She asked. "Your mom or Tommy?"

"No, the hospital contacted our lawyers who were going to contact our families. We were declared dead." He told her.

"Dead, as in never coming back?" She sighed. "Fuck, this is insane."

"Yeah, but we'll be home soon enough." He said, his arm drawing her closer.

"Then what?" Abigail asked. "Are we just supposed to act like nothing happened? Oliver, we're not the same people, but our families can never know what happened to us there."

"We'll work it out, Abs get some rest."

Exhaustion seemed to finally kick in. Abigail shifted so she was lying almost flat on her back, Oliver draped over her. Her fingers ran through his short hair and eventually her eyes drifted closed as well. It still surprised her how much of a comfort it was to be crushed by his weight.

She woke up warm, and surrounded by the smell of Oliver. A lazy groan moved passed her lips as she felt his large hand splayed across her waist, under her shirt. One of her legs had hooked itself over his hip, his head still pillowed on her chest.

"Oliver," she whispered against the top of his head.

He responded with a hum and a squeeze of her side. Goosebumps ran across her skin at the sensation, and she felt him smile against her chest.

"Ollie, when we get home…I know you have a plan. And I agree that you have to follow your father's wishes." This caught his attention, and he lifted onto his arms to watch her. "I can do whatever you need, I'm here. But I can't put that mask on."

"You don't have to," Oliver said kissing her jaw bone and then the hollow at her neck.

He fell back against her, his fingers drawing lazy patterns across the skin on her side. She heaved a deep breath and let their bodies fall comfortably close once again.

"Promise you won't leave me." She whispered keeping her eyes closed.

"They had to pry me away from you at the hospital. If it was up to me, you'd never leave my sight."

"When you put that hood on, I'm going to be there with you. We're still a team."

"We'll take it easy at first." He promised, one of his hands reached up to run through her now hair.

"God, I can already hear the therapists." She laughed softly. "We'll have to learn to be apart."

"We'll figure something out." He told her.

"But you're the best blanket, a girl could ask for." Again she laughed. This time her hand reached down and ran over the back of his short hair.

"Come on, let's try to get some more sleep." Oliver said as he shifted to the side of the couch they were laid across. He pulled Abigail into his chest, wrapping his arms around her securing her against him.

Landing in Starling City was surprisingly quiet, another testament to the fact the press hadn't caught wind of their return just yet. A helicopter was waiting to take them to the hospital from the private airstrip. Again they were separated from each other, their respective family doctors going over their battered bodies. It felt redundant, running through all the same tests they went through in China. The only time they saw each other was as they passed each other out of the examination rooms. For a brief moment, Abigail felt Oliver's hand grip her arm before she was once again pushed into another room. The urge to go out and find him was strong, but she fought it as hard as she could. She heard the doctors talking in the hall, leaving both her and Oliver for the first time since arriving. Hugging her arms around herself, she stared out the large windows at the city that was her home.

"Abbie," the male voice behind her caught her off guard. She whipped around and flung herself into her brother's arms. "Jesus, I've missed you."

"You have no idea." Her arms tightened around Tommy's neck. "I'm so sorry. You always said yachts suck."

Tommy kissed her hair before stepping back. He reached up and cupped her face, his hands lightly running through the now short locks of her brown hair, the same as his. The siblings stared at each other until the door opened again. Abigail visibly tensed when she saw her father. He moved towards her slowly, Tommy stepping out of the way to give the two privacy.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart." He said softly as he reached out for her. This time, her tears did fall. She felt like a five year old again, wrapped in her father's arms. "I'm so glad you're alive." She heard him murmur through his own emotions.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." She said through a sob as he held her against his chest. "I should have told you. It was so stupid, I thought you wouldn't let me go. All I wanted was to go to China."

Malcolm pushed her away a little before placing a kiss on her forehead. "All that matters, is that you're here now."

"The doctor's said you can come home tomorrow. They want to run a few more tests before you leave." Tommy informed her.

"Oliver's still here?" She didn't miss the glimpse between the two men. "What's that about?"

"You don't have to worry about him, Abigail." Malcolm said as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you mean? Where is he?" The panic that was rising in her was overwhelming. She took a step in the direction of the door before her father stopped her. "No, I have…"

"He's fine, Abbie. Moira's here." Tommy sighed as he watched the desperate panic that flooded his sister's eyes.

"Maybe we should talk to Dr. Hammond, he can get you moved…"

"No." Abigail stopped her father. "I'm fine here. I know what you must think, what everyone's probably thinking, but Oliver saved my life. For five years he took care of me. He didn't force me onto that boat, no one did. There's no blame on anyone, especially him."

"Sara said…" Tommy started, before Abigail cut him off.

"I lied. I was trying to stop them both from making a mistake. I had no idea he'd be on that boat with me. Robert's the one that asked me to come. He wanted me to meet some of the investors and learn the company." Her eyes moved to her father, not surprised to see that he showed no reaction to her words.

"You should get some rest, we'll be here tomorrow to pick you up." Tommy said before kissing her cheek and meeting their father moved to the door. Finding herself alone again, Abigail couldn't stop herself from moving down the hall.

"Ollie?" Her voice at his door shook him from his memories. The worry etched into his childhood nickname had him moving to her instantly. In three long strides he had her pressed against his chest.

Her hands fisted into the soft fabric of his shirt, as he cradled her head she relaxed as she felt his fingers gently twist around her newly cleaned and cut hair. Breathing deeply, the scent of fresh soap invaded her nostrils. Tears pricked her eyes at the simplicity of the moment.

"Can I stay here?" Her voice was muffled against his chest, but he had understood her.

"Yeah," he moved away a step. His eyes followed his fingers as they slipped from her dark locks.

Oliver took a moment to really look at her. It felt like it had been years since he'd seen her, the Abigail from his childhood. Her eyes seemed bluer than they'd been in a long time; the dark hair falling against her face had a shine to it, and her skin of clear and soft against his hand. She looked heartbreakingly fragile, although he knew that was the complete opposite of who she was now.

"Not bad, huh?" She deadpanned. "I was afraid they'd shave it like yours."

"Makes you look younger." Her face fell at that.

"It's my birthday." Again she felt water pool in her eyes. "I didn't even realize it until I saw my dad."

He didn't say anything, instead gripped her hand and pulled her across the hospital suite. They curled up on the bed, staring out at the window. Abigail melting against his side, Oliver held her tightly. Her head rested one of his arms as she pressed her back against his chest, their other hands clasped tightly against her stomach. It was a strange sensation, but he felt as if he'd wake up next to her sickly dead body in the morning which is why he didn't close his eyes.

It had been nearly fifty hours since they had left Lian Yu. And except for the few hours they slept on the plane back to Starling, neither had rested in days. As the morning sky turned from a deep blue to a soft pink, Abigail finally lifted her head. He knew she hadn't slept either as her fingers had been tracing invisible lines along his all night.

"I should probably get back to my room." She sighed as she stretched beside him. His eyes caught a small sliver of scarred skin peek out as her shirt rode up. On instinct he reached out to move a calloused finger over it. He knew he should pull back, but it was like second nature to be so familiar with her body. An almost primal possessive need over took him at the thought of having to share her with the world again.

"I'll go with you." He said as he helped her up. A weak smile graced her lips as she pulled out of his grasp.

"Co-dependency," Oliver's brow furrowed at the word. "It means we rely too heavily on each other. We'd do anything for the other, that's how we survived. We're safe here, though. We have another day of tests and seeing our families again, but by this time tomorrow we're going to be separated."

"You're right. It's just going to be hard to go back to that." He smiled weakly at her as she leaned back against the bed.

"We'll still see each other, probably more than people will know. But I don't need you to hold my hand through the hall." She gave him a confident smiled as she opened to the door and walked away from him.

Walking out of the room, Abigail almost felt as though a part of her was being ripped away. She physically had pull herself passed the three doors back to her room, forcing herself not to turn around and run back into his warm, strong arms. The tests didn't take long, Abigail actually found herself being given an elaborate spa treatment most of the day.

A team came in to work on her nails, painting them a fiery red that was once her signature. They waxed, moisturized, and tweezed for what felt like hours. There was a time she was sure to have enjoyed the treatment. She could name a few of them when she'd skipped out of class to spend a day having people dote on her like this, but now it seemed pointless. Her nails would chip and her skin was already marred with scars. No matter how long, or vigorously these woman worked on her body, she was never going to be the same girl everybody knew before.

"Can I have a minute?" Abigail asked, moving out of the claw like grasp of the women around her. "Please, I think I just need to get some air."

She walked out of the room, still wearing her hospital issue pants and loose tee shirt. Her hands were shaking as she reached up and ran them through her hair. The hall was almost completely empty, but she could hear the buzz of the people moving around the other parts of the hospital. It felt as though she was suffocating. There was too much noise, too many people, and too much light. She knew it wasn't supposed to be easy, but it shouldn't have been this hard. She was strong and brave, and there were five years of hell she survived that proved that.

Taking in a deep breath, she turned back to her room. She couldn't break down, not now. There were millions of people that wanted to see that. They wanted to see the broken and traumatized little girl that had disappeared on an island. She had to prove that she was still the beautiful, smart, and confident woman she used to be. Walking back into the room, she sat back down and was almost immediately surrounded again.

After being apart for six hours, Abigail moved carefully into Oliver's room. She noticed the way is eyes roamed over her body, once in a protective assessment, and the next actually taking in her appearance. She wore a well fitted black dress with her hair softly curled and falling down passed the thread thin straps across her shoulders. She was a few inches taller thanks to the heels she wore. For a moment she regretted changing out of the comfortable pants and tee shirt. Taking a calming breath, she gave him her best practiced smile.

"Wow, you look…" Oliver stopped at a loss for words.

"It's amazing what a Wonderbra and hair extensions can do." She smiled softly. "I heard you were taking the garage out. I thought I'd give the vultures something to nibble at."

"Abigail, you don't have to do that." He said, stepping into her.

"Yes, I do. I won't let them see what that place did to me. I'm not broken." The shimmer of tears was there, but she blinked them back. "Distractions remember. That part of the plan I can still do."

She pulled her sunglasses over her eyes, smiling brightly before walking down the long hall. Oliver caught the long pale scar running down the side of her thigh, and his heart clenched. She was essentially feeding herself to the press. They were going to attack her with all they had to get some idea of what happened to them all those years they were gone, and all he wanted to do was hide. She was always the stronger of the two.

"Are you sure about this?" Tommy asked Abigail when she met him down in the lobby. Their father was already standing in front of the press giving a statement from the family saying how glad they were that she and Oliver were finally home.

"Tommy, I was born for this." She smiled. His grip on her waist tightened for a moment before he smiled back at her.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you again for all of the lovely reviews! There are a few that I want to respond to so bare with me:

_kindleflame5- _I did plan on Abigail being better at hand to hand combat. That really won't come into play until a little later into the story. I sort of want to focus on her readujusting to being back- she's no driven like Oliver is with the need to keep a promise to his father.

_highlander348-_ She won't be suiting up with Oliver, at least through the chapters I have written so far, but I do have plans for her and the mask that was mentioned.

_Phillipe363- _There will be flashbacks, but they won't be a frequent as the actual show. And Malcolm will definately throw a wrench into the plans.

Again thank all of you so much for reading. I have been overwhelmed with the amount of favorites/follows/reviews. And finally here's the next chapter.

* * *

Abigail stepped into her room, feeling as though time had reversed and she was again nineteen and coming home for a long weekend. Nothing had changed, it didn't even look as though someone had stepped foot into the room since that morning she'd backed her duffle bag to head down to the Gambit. Tommy watched her quietly from her door for a moment before stepping in and jumping onto her bed.

"I told Moira that we'd go and have dinner over there later." He told her casually, watching for any sort of reaction. "I'm sure you're sick of Oliver by now, but I haven't seen him yet."

"No, that's fine. I want to see Moira and Thea." Abigail said as she walked to her closet and pulled it open. She began to pull out a few items. "How mad is he really?" She asked, turning back to her brother.

"You know Dad, just overflowing with emotions." He was glad to hear a genuine laugh leave her lips at that. "At first, he was a mess. I haven't seen him like that since Mom. He blamed Oliver, but I did my best to talk him out of that. I mean, you didn't go to be with Ollie?" She noticed the hurt and worry in his expression almost instantly.

"Tommy, I already told you, he didn't invite me. I didn't even know he was going to be there until we were walking onto the boat. Robert wanted me to meet some investors, and he thought it would be good for me to learn more about the company. He was going to give me a job at QC after I graduated."

"This was about that fight you and dad had." He sighed, rolling onto his back and covering his eyes with his hands. "Jesus, Abbie. You know Dad's an asshole most of the time."

"I'm a Merlyn too, which means I have just as much claim to the company as you do. You and Ollie were too busy screwing around and I wanted something more. Sure I liked to party with the best of them, but I was in school and trying to do something with my life. If he didn't want to help, Robert was more than willing."

"He wanted you to take over QC." Tommy said as he sat back up.

"Yeah," she grabbed the clothes and stepped into her bathroom. "I was going to take it too."

"Can I ask you something, and feel free to leave out as many graphic details as you deem necessary?" Abigail poked her head out the door and eyed him carefully.

"Alright…" she waited.

"No, go back into the bathroom. It helps if I'm not looking at you." She rolled her eyes and disappeared behind the door again. "You were gone for five years, _alone _on an island with my best friend-our best friend- I guess. I mean he was mine first."

"Tommy, can you ask the question so I can come out."

"Your scars," before he could say anything else, Abigail was practically flying out of the bathroom and jumping onto the bed beside him.

"Don't." She said forcefully. "Don't you even think the rest of that question. For years Oliver and I were on that island and it was like living in a nightmare. I know we said we were alone, and we were…in the end. But we weren't always. Oliver never laid a hand on me that wasn't for protection. He was selfless. As terrifying as it sounds, I'd have more scars if it wasn't for him. You should be thankful that he was there to take care of me, because I am."

Tommy pulled her into another hug, holding her as tightly as he could. He was surprised to find that she wasn't frail in his arms. She felt solid, strong. He'd always felt a need to take care of her, shelter her from the scary things in the world, but he was beginning to realize that his baby sister was all grown up. She'd lived through her nightmares and come back invincible.

"Let's go. I want to drive, and I plan on taking the scenic route." She smiled as she pulled him off the bed. She'd swapped the revealing dress for jeans and a comfortable tee shirt, one he was almost sure she'd stolen from him long before she went to college. She ran down the hall and stairs easily in the converse that were on her feet. For a moment he was reminded of that nineteen year old, care free sister he'd been mourning for five years.

Abigail wasn't joking about taking the scenic route usually it was only twenty minutes to the Queen mansion, but she had made the drive last nearly an hour. She wanted to take in the city, something Tommy promised he'd show her later. By the time they made it to the mansion, it would be time to eat.

"Abigail," she was quickly greeted by Moira that second the two siblings stepped into the house. Moira hugged her tightly, but Abigail's eye automatically searched for Oliver's. She felt herself relax that minute their eyes locked. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Thank you, I'm glad we're home." She said moving out of Moira's embrace as the older woman led them into the dining room. Instinctively, Abigail stepped towards Oliver. His hand found the small of her back as he walked towards the room. Tommy hung back, watching them carefully.

The table was already lavishly set with more food than she had seen in years. Abigail came to a stop, trying to take it all in. She felt Oliver give her a squeeze before stepping around her. Thea came over then and wrapped her arms around the other woman. Abigail hugged her back just as tightly.

"I've missed you." The younger girl said.

"Why don't we sit down, I'm sure both of you haven't had a decent meal in a while." Abigail almost choked at that statement.

Abigail sat by her brother, furthest away from Oliver. She was trying something new, separation. It helped that he was still within a few feet, but it felt like a crater was between them. She couldn't do much but push her food around as her brother filled the silence with random facts about things they missed out on. She was thankful for the distraction.

"What was it like there?" Thea asked, and Abigail's gaze immediately locked with Oliver's.

"Cold." He answered giving his little sister a smile. Abigail almost jumped when she felt Tommy squeeze her hand under the table.

She sat in complete silence as the family discussed the company and then Moira's remarriage came up. Her eyes stayed locked on Oliver though. It wasn't until he got up from the table that she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said as she pushed away from the table.

"Abbie, you have nothing to apologize for." Moira told her.

"I'm just going to check on him." She squeezed the hand Tommy still held before walking after Oliver. As soon as she cleared the room she was sprinting to catch up with him. "You're shaking." She said when she was finally able to grip his arm.

"A lot's changed." He explained with a sigh. She stepped in front of him and placed her hands on either side of his neck.

"Come outside with me." She said, stepping away but taking his hand. "Maybe you just need to get rid of some of that energy."

"And what are we going to do outside?" He asked, clearly not in the mood for anything other than sulking in his room. She stole the apple from his hands quickly before moving away from him.

"How about a game?"

"Not really in the mood for a game, Abigail." He sighed.

"You get the apple back, and I'll let you go upstairs and wallow." She said holding her hand out. He squinted at her for a moment before reaching out for it. That was the second she turned and sprinted out the door.

The air was thick with the coming storm, and it was already dark outside. The Queen's garden was lit with a few walkway lamps, but they were both use to a much darker setting. It was as if years of muscle memory game flooding back to both of them. Abigail didn't know where she was going, but she knew when to turn, where to jump. Her body knew the house as if she'd lived there her whole life. She was slightly surprised that she was keeping her pace ahead of Oliver. On the island, she learned quickly that she was faster than Oliver and it always made her feel a little superior just by the fact that he couldn't catch her without outthinking her next step.

They ran around each other until their limbs were weak and the first few rain drops were falling from the sky. She was still running up to the gardens, closer to the house before he caught up with her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his head against her shoulder and she felt her lips break into a smile.

"Can I have the apple back now?" He asked, lips brushing against the skin of her neck.

"I don't think you earned it." She said, holding it out of his reach again. A squeal escaped her lips as she felt him wrap around her body in order to reach for the fruit.

"Thanks, Abs." He said while she was still firmly pressed against him, both of their hands wrapped around the green fruit.

"That should be your nickname now." She said as she playfully punched his solid abdomen.

"You're not so bad yourself." His hand worked its way up the side of her waist, pulling the dampening material of her shirt with it as his fingers played over her skin.

"Hey, you two okay?" Tommy asked as he made his way down the steps to the garden. "I've got to say I'm not a big fan of being the one left behind."

"Sorry Tommy." Abigail said as she moved away from Oliver. "I'm going to get cleaned up, and then we can go."

The two men watched her take the steps two at a time before disappearing into the house. Tommy waited a moment before turning to his best friend, trying to find everything that had changed over the years.

"I should thank you." Tommy finally said. "She told me how you took care of her, and I just wanted to let you know that means a lot."

"She's stronger than she looks." Oliver said as he began to walk towards the house.

"Were you sleeping with her?" Tommy finally asked. Those words stopped Oliver in his tracks. "Before, were you sleeping with her before you two got on the Gambit?"

"No, we were never like that." Oliver said, turning back to his friend.

"But you are now."

"Tommy," Oliver started but he wasn't sure what he wanted to say.

"You know I always thought you two would end up sleeping together." He laughed humorlessly. "Although back then I also thought I'd have to kick your ass for it, but watching you two tonight it's almost sickening how in sync you are with each other. Just promise me, you're not going to hurt her."

"I won't," he waited for his friend to yell, punch him even. He knew that what he was implying was probably the worst thing a friend could do.

"Tommy, let's go. There's a storm coming in." Abigail called from the door. Tommy was already passing him and wrapping an arm around her before Oliver regained control of his body. "What was that about?"

"Don't worry about it."

This time Tommy drove them home, making it there in less time than she'd have liked. Suddenly she found herself facing her first night away from Oliver in too many years. It was nice knowing that he was safe, but that didn't do much to stop the churning in her stomach. She lay in her bed for hours before deciding sleep was never going to come.

She slipped out of bed, sighing as she pulled her clothes back on before leaving her room. She practically hopped down the stairs as she headed to the garage.

"Abs," Tommy said as he spotted her in the hall obviously coming in from a night out.

"Hey," she smiled. Nervously, her hands ran through her hair. "I just need to clear my head."

"Want company?" He asked.

"No, Tommy. I'll be fine." Before he could get closer she was already in the garage kicking a motorcycle to life.

It was close to two in the morning when she snuck into Oliver's room. She tried to be a quiet as possible. When she turned away from closing the door she was surprised to find him sitting in front of the window. Her eyes softened as she made her way towards him, shaking out of her jacket and toeing off her shoes.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked when she was standing beside him.

"Tommy thinks we're sleeping together." She couldn't hold in her laugh as she felt his hand grasp her waist.

"Well, he's not entirely wrong." She stepped away from him, taking his hand in both of hers before heading for the bed. "This is the last time, though." She said strongly, to make him believe it and possibly herself as well. She moved away just long enough to shimmy out of her jeans before climbing into the large bed. He was beside in seconds.

"You keep saying that." He smiled as she moved across his chest.

"I keep hoping it'll sound convincing." She sighed, her body giving way to exhaustion the moment her head hit his chest.

It was close to four thirty when Abigail was shocked away with a loud crash of thunder. She heard Moira's voice from somewhere in the room. Instantly she was up and searching for Oliver. She jumped out of the bed when she saw him on the floor with Moira and Walter, his hand around his mother's neck.

"Oliver," she moved to sit beside him, pulling his arm back. He snapped out of it at her touch, quickly moving away from his mother.

"Abigail," Moira seemed slightly shocked to see the other woman there.

"He's fine, it's okay." She said as she moved closer to Oliver, running a hand over the side of his face.

"I'm sorry." He said, avoiding his mother's gaze. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, sweetheart. You're home." Moira's voice was soothing, the way only a mother could use on a child. Abigail felt a pang in her chest, wishing for her own mother's comfort.

"Will you two be alright?" Walter asked as he stood up, helping Moira to her feet.

"Yes, it just takes some getting used to." Abigail said as she turned away from Oliver for a moment. "I'm really sorry."

"It's alright, Abbie. Try to get some sleep, both of you." Moira said before leaving the room.

"It was the storm wasn't it?" Abigail asked as she stood up with Oliver. She moved around him to shut the windows and pulled the blinds, trying to hide the outside world. "Now I'm glad I came."

"You know what she'd thinking, don't you?" Oliver asked he as they both lay back on the bed. This time Abigail fell on her back, Oliver half on top of her with his head against her chest. Again her hands found his short hair as she ran her blunt nails over his scalp soothingly. "It's safer when we're together." His voice vibrated against her chest.

"Safer for whom?" She wondered feeling shivers run over her skin as his hand wrapped around her hip and gently kneaded into the warm skin of her side.

"Others, we know each other. I'm not afraid of hurting you." He said, pushing up to hover over her, balancing on one arm. "Stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere." She assured softly, her hands coming up cup his face. The intensity of his gaze froze her in place. He leaned forward slightly and one of her hands slipped down his jaw to his neck where her finger ran across the edge of his hair.

"I love this, it suits you better." Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. He gave her a soft smile before closing the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers.

It was slow, gentle even, nothing more than the pressure of his lips on hers. Abigail wasn't sure what to do, but she let instincts take over and moved her lips against his. That's all it took for him to respond to her. The hand that was on her hip moved further up taking her shirt with it. Abigail arched into him, pressing their chests together. Her hands held onto his neck, kissing him back enthusiastically. They kissed until the need for air became too much to ignore. Abigail was the first to pull away, falling back against the mattress and turning away from him. Her chest heaved, pressing closer to him.

"Ollie," her voice was forced as she took in deeper breathes. "What are you doing?"

"If you have to ask, I'm more out of practice than I thought." He laughed as he rolled away from her, trying to catch his own breath.

"You know what I mean. After all this time, the five years there and even before that, you've never kissed me. You're never made a move, innocent flirting maybe but never like that."

"I've wanted to." He admitted as he kept his eyes locked on the ceiling above them. "For a long time."

"That's sweet," she smiled as she rolled back into his side. Oliver let out a short chuckle as he wrapped his arm around her. "Can we talk about it in the morning, I just want to sleep." She leaned up and placed a soft kiss against the underside of his jaw. "In a bed with you."

"Night," he said softly as he pulled her almost completely on top of him.

Oliver held her, wrapping his arms around her back to secure her to his chest. It was a habit they formed years ago, the only way he knew she was safe while he slept. He waited until he felt her breath even out and her heart beat slow before he could allow himself to relax. Making sure she was safe had always been his first priority and he knew that wasn't going to change just because they were finally home.

Abigail woke up in an uncomfortable heat. She rolled over, pushing out of Oliver's hold. Her body was use to the cold, relying on Oliver to be closer while they slept in order to keep both of them warm. Having a California King sized bed and a thousand thread count sheets was a luxury both of them had to get used to again. He groaned at the loss of contact, but didn't wake. She smiled as she looked down at his sleeping form. It amazed her how much like the old Ollie he looked while sleeping.

She leaned down and placed a kiss on his temple before sliding off the bed. In a few hours Tommy would be coming over to take both of them out to see the city, and if she wasn't in her own bed at home she knew there would be even more questions she'd have to answer.

"Where are you going?" Oliver murmured from the bed. He reached out and instinctively gripped her wrist, firm enough to stop her from moving any further away from the bed, but knowing she could easily break the hold. "It's early."

"I have to get home. My dad and brother are going to flip if I'm not in my room when they wake up."

"We'll tell them you were here." He explained as he pulled her back to the mattress, getting up to sit beside her.

"Oliver, you have to let me go home." She sighed, focusing down at their joined hands.

"We were going to talk about last night." He moved a little closer to her, their foreheads almost touching before she pulled away completely. In the blink of an eye she was feet away pulling her jeans back on and slipping into her shoes.

"I don't want to talk about that yet. That...what we did last night was crossing a line I told myself a long time ago I wasn't going to do."

"Abbie, please just listen to me." Oliver moved towards her, but every step he took she moved three back.

"Laurel." That one word, name, stopped both of them. Abigail watched his reaction, the hurt and pain in his eyes was exactly what she'd expected and hated herself for being the one to put it there. "I'll come back with Tommy later."

The morning air was cool as Abigail sped down the wet streets. The city was still waking as she moved through cars easily, speeding through the city to get back to her home. She was still playing the events of last night in her head. The feel of Oliver's lips on hers was still fresh in her mind. She'd be lying if she said she'd never thought about what being with him would feel like. It was Laurel that had always kept them apart, even before the island. Abigail was friends with Sara, which meant she was also friends with Laurel. The two Lance girls were practically sisters to her.

The small group that they were meant that complication came easily and Abigail had always tried her hardest to stay out of the Ollie and Laurel saga.


	4. Chapter 4

"Good morning baby sister." Tommy said as Abigail walked through the front door. She stopped for a moment, turning to the sound of her brother's voice. "Late night?"

"I told you I couldn't sleep." She smiled as she made her way to the stairs.

"You look pretty rested to me."

"Tommy," she sighed.

"Just tell me you're not going to get your heart broken." He said as he took the few steps that separated them. "I know him, and I'm sure you know him even better than I do. From what I remember, he wasn't exactly the most stand-up guy when it came to women and I promised myself a long time ago that I would protect you from that."

"He won't break my heart Tommy, I'd never let him." She gave him a tight hug before running up the rest of the stairs. "Give me fifteen minutes then we can get out of here."

Tommy decided to take his new sports car. Abigail was only slightly irritated because that meant that she'd have to sit in the front, in Oliver's lap. It's not like the three of them hadn't done it before, on several occasions, but there was something infinitely different about it this time. Oliver's hands rested comfortably around her hips, on one side his thumb was rubbing absently against the skin left exposed by the rise of her shirt. She kept one arm wrapped around his neck in order to keep her balance as her brother shifted gears fiercely as they sped into the city.

The boys talked as if no time at all had passed. If it wasn't for the subtle shifts she felt while sitting on top of Oliver she would have thought she'd dreamed all those years away. Her focus was on the rolling city outside the window. It looked nothing like she remembered, but it wasn't as if she'd cared that much back then anyway. Everything before the island seemed pointless now. It had been parties, booze, drugs, and then there was college. She was going through the motions until eventually she'd end up married to or working for one of the many wealthy families she knew.

"Why'd you want to drive through this neighborhood anyway?" Tommy asked. Abigail finally pulled her attention back to her companions, realizing that Oliver's eyes were trained on the same Queen's Consolidated factory hers were only seconds ago.

"You know what I missed, steak." Abigail finally spoke up. "Can we go get lunch and wine?"

"Sure, you in Ollie?"

"Let's make one more stop first." Oliver said, the grip on Abigail's hip tightening. "Laurel works around here, right?"

"Come on man, she's not exactly you're biggest fan." Tommy sighed. "I did my best to tell her you two didn't run off together, but when she found out about you and Sara there was no reasoning with her."

Apparently there was no talking Oliver out of it. Abigail sat on the low wall beside her brother as they waited for Oliver and Laurel to finish their conversation and come to the front of CNRI. Tommy slipped an arm around her shoulders as he watched her. She rolled her eyes as she pushed against him.

"I'm fine, Tommy."

"Are either of you ever going to tell me exactly what's going on, or am I just going to have to speculate with the rest of the population?"

"Abbie," Laurel's voice surprised the siblings as the lawyer came up to them smiling at the other woman. "I'm glad your back."

"Thanks." Abigail said as Laurel walked back into the building, but not before giving Tommy a very pointed look. "What was that? Isn't she supposed to hate me, or you?" She asked as Oliver rejoined them.

"We talked it out. Still not my biggest fan, but I think we've come to an understanding." Oliver told her as he headed back to where they parked the car. "Let's get lunch, I'm starving."

Tommy helped Abigail back down to the sidewalk before following their friend. Tommy was throwing out restaurant suggestions as they headed into the alley where they'd left the car. Abigail jumped when she heard the fast approaching van. Instinctively, she reached for Oliver. The masked men that surrounded them caught them off guard, one already shooting a dart at Tommy before she felt one hit her as well.

Oliver woke zip tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse. He searched for Abigail first, locking eyes with her across from him. One of the masked men was standing behind her, a Taser in his hand. She gave him a subtle nod to let him know that she was alright. Her eyes flicked to the side, where he glanced to find Tommy still lying unconscious.

It didn't take long for the violence to start. For a moment it almost felt more natural than the last few days. Abigail was never surprised by the fact that almost every man underestimated her. Her bounds were loose to begin with, but the moment Oliver went after the first man she was right next him, taking on a man of her own. The goon was unprepared for Abigail to retaliate. She movements were quick and precise. Aiming for the softer, weaker spots she knew would be left vulnerable.

She easily knocked the gun out of one guys hand as she watched Oliver take down the guy with a broken leg of his chair. Using her legs to sweep the guy off his balance, Abigail caught his neck in her hands, hesitating for a moment before twisting with enough force to snap his neck. With two down and one on the run, Oliver stopped momentarily to check on her.

"Go, I'll stay with Tommy. I'm fine." She leaned into the hand he rested against her cheek before running through the warehouse.

She sat on the pallet next to her brother. Her heart clenched every second Oliver was out of her sight. It brought back too many memories of the past five years. The feeling of Tommy reaching out to her shocked her, putting her back on the defense. Her features softened as she helped her brother stand. He was taking her into his arms, shakily.

"We need to call someone." He said, falling back to the floor taking his sister with him. She carefully laid him back down as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Abbie," Oliver called out as he ran back into the room. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "It's okay."

"We need to get out of here. Are you alright?" She asked, pulling away slightly.

"Fine, what about you?" He glanced over her, hands moving over her body like he'd done millions of times checking for any damage. "Did he see anything?" He finally asked at he moved closer to Tommy.

"I don't think so, but what are we going to tell people, Oliver. There are three armed dead guys here. We can't exactly say we defended ourselves."

"No, but someone could have. We have to start somewhere." Abigail gave him an incredulous look.

"You mean the hood. Won't it seem a little strange if we're the ones that encounter your alter ego first? Someone's going to see right through that."

"We'll make it believable." He pulled her into his body, holding onto her tightly. Abigail wrapped her arms around him as she felt her body come down from the adrenaline rush. "Help me get him up."

They called the police, and were surprised when they escorted them back to the Queen mansion instead of the police station. Abigail was sandwiched between Tommy and Oliver on the couch across from Moira and Walter as Detective Lance tried to understand what had happened. She wasn't surprised by his caustic behavior. Of all the rumors she'd heard flying around she knew he believed that she and Oliver had boarded the Gambit with the full intention of spending a few romantic weeks in China.

She flinched when she felt Oliver take her hand, holding it tightly against her thigh. Her gaze shifted down to where their hands rested and she felt her cheeks flush at the implication. A few days ago and she would have been fine, but now that their past was in the same room it felt wrong.

"You're telling me a guy wearing a green hood came in and took out three armed men. Why would he do that?" Lance said with disbelief. Abigail looked up then, sad to see the distain Quintin Lance always had for Oliver now directed at her as well.

"Why don't you find him and ask." Abigail squeezed Oliver's hand, knowing that he wasn't helping the situation at all.

"What about you two? You see the hood guy." Lance kept his gaze on Abigail a little longer than she would've liked before Tommy spoke.

"I saw movement. Everything was blurry. I was kind of out of it."

"It's kind of funny, one day back and already someone's gunning for you. Aren't you popular?" Lance said turning back to Oliver.

"Were you able to identify the men?" Moira cut in.

"They were pros. Probably thought you'd pay a king's ransom to get your boy back…or a Queen's."

"Thank you detectives, if they think of anything else I'm sure they'll give you a call." Walter spoke up. Quintin spared a tight smile to the couple before collecting his things.

"You're luck never seems to run out, does it." The comment was quiet, and meant for only Oliver, but Abigail rose from her position next to her brother before following the detectives out. Tommy watched her from his spot on the couch but Oliver followed.

"I'm sorry, Quintin." She called out before the two men could reach the door.

"Sweetheart, I'm not the one that needs to hear that."

She watched as they left, flinching away from Oliver when his hand came to rest against her waist. The expression on his face was one she could easily read, and she hated that pitying stare. He knew that before, she was close with the Lance sisters-Sara especially, but it was her relationship with Detective Lance that she was mourning now.

"Hey Abs," Oliver's voice was soft, soothing as he stepped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned quickly, her face set as she stared up at him. "Don't let him get to you."

"I'm fine." She smiled tightly, pulling away in order to yell over his shoulder. "Tommy, let's go home. I'll meet you tomorrow at the old factory." Abigail said the last part softly as she reached up and placed a chaste kiss against the side of his mouth.

"Really not a fan of that." Tommy said as he came into the foyer. Abigail pulled away and followed her brother out of the mansion. "Want to talk about what happened today?"

Tommy watched Abigail slid into the passenger seat of the sports car waiting to hear what she had to say.

"What do you want to hear, Tommy? We were abducted by psychopaths and then had the pleasure of meeting Detective Lance again. Overall I'd call it a good day."

"Did those guys hurt you?" He asked, turning in his seat to give her a once over himself before starting the car. Abigail tried to move away from him the best she could in the small vehicle.

"I've already been looked at by paramedics and Oliver. I don't think I can take you playing the overprotective brother as well."

"That's my job, Abbie." The sad undertone in his voice brought tears to her eyes as she watched him start the car and speed away from the house.

"Thank you," she spoke quietly. "You always took care of me Tommy. I just need a little time to get used to that again." He gave her knee a quick squeeze before putting his hand back on the gear shift. Abigail sat quietly for a little while, it wasn't until they were close to their own home that she spoke again. "Did you see the way he looked at me? He used to make me pancakes after sleepovers and it's like I'm no better than a common trust fund groupie. I did it for her, I was friends with both of them and I couldn't let Sara destroy what her and Laurel had. She's been my best friend since we were thirteen, but I let her think…you have to believe me that nothing happened between me and Oliver until years later."

"Abbie, Sara was worried about you. They were both hurt, we all were, but we were all dealing with conflicting emotions."

"I wish I'd never gotten on that damn boat." That was the last thing she said as she got out of the car and ran up the stairs to her room.

_"__Laurel's going to kill you." Abigail sighed as she fell onto her bed beside Sara. The blonde was typing out another text with a huge smile on her face meaning only one person could be on the receiving end. _

_"__Come on, it's just some fun. Besides, they're fighting right now." Sara laughed as she lay beside her friend. "I've never had this much fun before."_

_"__Too bad it has to end." Abigail glanced towards Sara with a knowing look. "You're still going to Central City for college right?"_

_"__That's what phones are for and long weekends." Abigail rolled her eyes as she got up and moved to her closet to change for their night out. "Have you and Oliver ever…"_

_"__What?" The brunette stared at her friend's reflection as she played with her long curls. "We might have kissed once at a Christmas party when I was like thirteen or something, but no we've never..."_

_"__Would you? If the opportunity came?" That question stopped her for a second and the hesitation wasn't lost on Sara. "You're in love with him aren't you?"_

_Abigail turned around with a serious expression on her face. "Sara, don't take this the wrong way, but he's either going to end up with a powerful woman like Laurel after law school or another trust fund baby."_

_"__So if he doesn't marry Laurel, he'd marry you?" Sara asked as she slid off the bed. "You're pissed he's never made a move, aren't __you?__ Oliver sees you as a little sister and it kills you that he's with me."_

_"__That's not it at all. I've watched Tommy and Oliver go through dozens of girls through the years. I'm doing you a favor, he's going to break your heart that's just what he does. Is that really worth your relationship with your sister?"_

_"__No, but we'll figure that out when we get back from China." _

_"__Sara, you can't go to China." The two girls stared each other down for a moment before Abigail continued. "I'm going. We're meeting some of the investors for QC, __and __then we're flying out to Europe for a month."_

_"__Just you and Oliver?" Sara asked as tears began to leak from her eyes._

_"__Yeah, Tommy might meet us later but Oliver's the one that asked me."_

_"__You know I never did understand why you were always attached to your brother's hip, but I guess that made it easier to get close to his friends, huh? Let's see there was Jason, Aaron, Max, and I'm sure a few dozen others I'm forgetting." Sara said as angry tears began to fall down her face._

_"__Sara, please…" Abigail walked around the bed to stand closer to her friend, but Sara only moved further away. "I'll telling you this because I love you, because I need you to understand how this works before you get your heart broken."_

_"__Enlighten me, Ms. Merlyn. How does it work in your perfect, high society world?"_

_"__Guys like Tommy and Oliver are going to sleep around through their twenties with girls that want to be seen and party at the best clubs. Hell, I'm doing the same thing. But when it comes time to settle down, they're going to pick a girl that their mother will approve of."_

_"__You're a stuck up bitch, Abbie. And you're __wrong, Laurel __might be mad at me __for sleeping with him, but we __will both __hate you for having him on the side this whole time."_

_Sara threw the bedroom door open and ran out of the house. Abigail fell to the floor in front of her mirror, her cool resolve finally giving way as she heard the front door slam at Sara's exit._

* * *

A big thanks for all the response from the last chapter. Just to lay a little background, and to respond to WinterRain36, Oliver hasn't slept with Abbie but that doesn't mean that he never slept with Shado or anyone else while they were gone. It's still early...


	5. Chapter 5

"Abigail," the deep voice was unfamiliar to Abigail's subconscious and she woke with a start. Her heart was racing and she flinched away from the touch on her arm. "Abby, it's Dad. It's me, baby."

Her eyes finally adjusted to focus on Malcolm's form beside her. Taking in a soothing breath, she relaxed and moved to throw her arms around her father's neck. "I'm sorry. You scared me. I thought you were still in Europe on business." She whispered as she felt him returning her embrace.

"I heard about what happened. Are you alright?" He spoke softly against her ear, running one hand through her short locks. When she stayed quiet, he pulled back and looked over her for himself. Abigail tried not to shy away like she did repeatively with Tommy.

"I'm fine, we all are. You didn't need to come all this way back. I was going to call you sometime tomorrow. Besides, I'm safe with security and Tommy here."

"Tommy's never here." She choked on a laugh at her father's annoyance. "And neither are you." He said with a knowing look as he put more space between them.

"I'm sorry, I know we haven't seen a lot of each other since I've gotten home. Honestly, I thought you wouldn't notice with how much you've been working."

Malcolm stood from the bed, taking a few paces away from her before speaking his mind. "You were kidnapped yesterday, Abigail. I almost lost you again, because you were with Oliver."

"I was with Tommy, too. It was the three of us running around town, just like old times. Don't worry, Dad. It won't happen again." Abigail scooted across the bed, trying to reach him.

"Because of this Hood guy that saved you?" The malice in his voice stopped her steps.

"Yes and no." She sighed rolling her eyes. "This guy saved us and that makes me very happy, but on the other hand he killed those men. The last thing I want is to be put in anymore life threatening situations."

"You're my baby girl, Abigail. I already lost you once, I don't think I'll survive losing you again." He took the three steps towards her before enveloping her in his arms again.

Later that morning, after ditching the bodyguard his mother insisted on, Oliver made it to his dad's old steel factory. He walked in with the morning light flowing in from the large bay doors as the only light in the place. He tensed when he heard movement from further within the building, relaxing only when he saw Abigail turn the corner.

"What took you so long?" She asked as she waited for him to meet her.

"Let's get to work." He gave her a small smile before he dropped the bags to the floor.

It took a majority of the day just to decide what they wanted to do. Abigail would buy some of the supplies with her trust, Oliver would get the rest. It was an easy way to stop the suspicious purchases from falling onto just one of them. It was nearly a week before they were actually able to set all the gear up. Each took their turn hanging out with family and planning a party with Tommy. Most of their time though was spent together in the factory.

Abigail was standing over one of the tables, staring into the contents at the bottom of the trunk they'd brought with them from China. Her fingers ran over the black case, but she couldn't pull it out of the trunk. Oliver put down the arrow he'd been working on and watched her for a moment.

"You could still do it you know." He spoke softly as he walked towards her. "I saw the way you were with those guys the other day."

"I can't." She said, moving away. "But I could still kick your ass."

She playfully punched him in the stomach before dancing away. He let out a short laugh. It was a game they played the last year on the island, a way to keep them both sane, but also keep up their training. Most of the time, Oliver would win just from sheer size and strength, but Abigail could hold her own. She was quick and after so many years of watching each other fight they had to keep on their toes if they didn't want to give up their weaknesses.

Oliver advanced on her, pulling her against his chest from behind. Abigail relaxed against him instead of fighting back. She twisted in his arms, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. Taking a deep breath she leaned in, pressing their bodies together before she slanted her lips over his. She waited for him to respond before she put any more pressure behind the kiss.

One of his hands held her tighter against his chest as his lips moved hungrily over hers. She opened her mouth moaning into the feel of his tongue sliding against hers. He lifted her, pressing her against the nearest wall as her legs wrapped around his waist. She reached down between them, gripping his t-shirt and pulling it up his chest. They broke apart long enough for her to pull it off of him. She leaned in to kiss him again, but Oliver kept the distance.

"Marry me." He said, staring into her eyes.

Abigail felt her legs go slack against his waist, and she knew that if he didn't have an arm around her and wasn't pressing her firmly against the wall she'd have fallen down. "What?" She choked out.

"You heard me." He said as he let her slide back to the floor. He moved away from her as she got her footing back.

"Yeah, I did. Which is why I'll ask again: what?" She leaned against the wall, it being the only thing keeping her vertical.

"They'll tear us apart, Abigail." He said, more to the arrows sitting on the table in front of him than her. She was focused on the tautness of exposed back, knowing that he was struggling with this just as much as her. "It's been easy these first few days, but what about a month from now? Eventually, someone will say that it's unhealthy. The doctors already have. Our parents will expect us to move on, but I don't know how to do that without you." He finally turned around, barely raising his head high enough to capture her gaze. "Marry me."

"Oliver, I think that's the opposite of what they would want for us. We've been doing good with the separation most days. A few hours here then we're apart."

"I haven't been sleeping." He admitted, staring at the room around her before finally meeting her worried eyes. "I can't if I don't know that you're safe."

"You have to try." She picked up his shirt from the floor before tossing it to him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Abigail left him in the factory. She went back to an empty house, her father at work and her brother out doing whatever interested him that afternoon. The whole afternoon alone left her with nothing to do but think about what Oliver had said. He was right that eventually someone would try to keep them apart, but she wasn't sure if that wasn't a good thing.

Glancing around her room, she realized that it didn't feel like she lived there anymore. The only place she ever really felt like herself was holed up in the basement of the steel factory with Oliver. He was familiar and safe. Most importantly, he knew her. She'd be lying if she hadn't thought about the possibility of meeting someone one day and having to explain the scars. It terrified her to think that it would be a turn off for a guy to find out what had happened to her all those years away from Starling.

The sun was going down when she finally found herself reaching for her phone and dialing one of the only two numbers she used regularly. Oliver picked up on the second ring.

"Were you sleeping?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, are you okay? Do you need something?" He asked, worry evident in his tone.

"I was thinking about what you said." She could hear him hesitate through the phone. "It might help you sleep, if we stay on the phone."

"Alright," he said softly.

They laid in silence together for what felt like hours. Abigail was almost certain he'd fallen asleep until she heard him take in a deep breath. He told her about a conversation he'd had with Thea earlier that night, and the ideas he had about setting up more gear in the basement. It was an easy conversation that certainly would have had her falling asleep instantly, if only she was also surrounded by his warmth and scent. She told him about the plans she'd made with Tommy for their welcome home party in two days, and how she was planning on asking her father to get her a job at the company. They briefly discussed what he planned to do to Adam Hunt the next night. It was already making her anxious, but she had to believe that he knew what he was doing.

"I meant what I said earlier, I need you." Oliver said softly, his voice deeper with sleep just as Abigail was beginning to drift off as well.

"I know, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

She woke up with her phone still on the line with Oliver. A smile broke out across her face as she pressed the end button and got out of bed. She threw on some clothes before running down stairs. She passes Tommy who was just coming in, probably from a night out with some no-name pretty girl.

"Where are you going so early?" He asked before really looking at her. "What am I saying? You're going to see Oliver, it's been all of what four hours since you saw him last?"

"Eight actually, but yes that's where I'm going. Goodnight." She laughed as she kissed his cheek before heading out of a car.

She sped through the nearly empty streets of Starling. It was only close to six-thirty in the morning, but it seemed the city was having a slow start. She was able to sneak into the house without waking up any of the Queen family. Carefully she opened the door to Oliver's room, once inside she ran to the bed before jumping on to Oliver's back. He woke up instantly, flipping them so that he landed on top of her on the floor. She was able to stop him from doing too much damage by reaching out and gripping his wrists until he was able to focus on her face.

His head fell down against her neck as he let the adrenaline leave his body. Abigail bit her lip to stifle her laugh as her ran a hand through his hair. His body relaxed completely against her, pinning her to the floor. She let out a strangled moan as she felt her lungs get crushed under his weight.

"Oliver," she choked out, trying her hardest to push him off of her. "Get off me."

He rolled over to the side, falling onto this back beside her. He turned to watch her, reaching out to move a piece of hair that fell across her eyes. She rolled closer to him, lying on her side. "You shouldn't wake people up like that, Ms. Merlyn. How'd you get in here anyway?"

"Slipped in the front door, you should probably get better security. Speaking of, when am I going to meet Diggle?"

"Later, how'd you sleep?" He turned to his side as well, propping his head up to stare down at her.

"I came to ask you. The phone was still on when I woke up this morning."

"At least I slept, that's better than most nights." Abigail reached out, placing her hand on his cheek and swiping her thumb under his eye.

"If you're going to do this, Adam Hunt tonight and whoever else we find, then you need to sleep. I'm already freaking out about you running around in that hood, coupling that with you running on pure adrenaline terrifies me."

"I'm working on it." He sighed as he pushed himself up off the floor.

"What you said yesterday…about us…" Abigail sat up, leaning against the base of the large bed. "Did you mean it?"

"Yes, I meant it." He said, staring at her from where he was leaning against the arm of the couch. He wanted to move towards her again, sit beside her, but he could tell by the way her eyes were glued to the patterns in the carpet that she needed space for this conversation.

"What about Laurel? What about Sara? All the others? You had a reputation before all of this, Oliver, and I'm afraid that one day you're going to wake up and want to go back to that. The people we grew up with, it's normal for them to have affairs, but I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't have that kind of life. If we do this, I have to know that you're all in."

Abigail finally turned to catch his gaze, surprised to find that he was already staring at her. She self-consciously ran her hand through her hair. He pushed off the couch and took a few steps towards her before he was kneeling down next to her.

"There's nothing left between Laurel and I, and Sara is even further out of the picture. This is about you and me like it has been for the last five years, just you and me."

"Alright," she said trying to stop the wide smile threatening to break out across her face. "Okay, I'll marry you."

"Good answer," he smiled before leaning in and capturing her lips with his. "We can announce it at the party. I'll go by the vault later…"

"Whoa," Abigail pushed him away slightly, her hands on his shoulders. "You want to do this now. I thought maybe we should ease people into the idea first, maybe spend a few months actually dating. You do realize that although we were basically inseparable for years that doesn't mean we were dating. Shouldn't we at least give it a test run?"

"Who knows how short life is better than us?" He put his hands on either side of her face, kissing her deeply again. "We're doing something dangerous every night, what better distraction than an elaborate wedding?"

"A distraction," she nodded when she finally realized what he'd been planning. "The press and our families will be so busy trying to make a multimillion dollar wedding go off seamlessly that they won't notice anything out of the ordinary. That's smart, Ollie."

"Think you can handle it?" She nodded, pulling him closer to her again.

"Can I pick the ring?" Oliver smiled at that, stepping away and moving towards his closet.

"Sorry, that decision's already been made."

"What? You bought a ring without asking me about this first?"

"Don't worry about it. We have a lot of work to do tonight."

That night Abigail found herself sitting in the basement alone. She was monitoring Oliver's movements on one of the small computer screens and she was in direct contact with him over a Bluetooth device. She hated that she hadn't gone with him. Every gunshot she heard made her heart leap into her throat. It was a crazy plan to begin with but now that it was in action, it was even crazier than she thought.

"Hey," Oliver called out as he made his way back down to her. Abigail watched him closely as he put his bow back in the case and slid the hood down.

"That seemed to go well." She said as she slid out of the chair behind the desk and moved closer to him. "Do you think he's going to do it?"

"Probably not, which is why we're throwing the party across the street."

* * *

I'm so sorry this took so long to get out. I am working on writing ahead and with school starting things have been getting a little hectic. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Finally I find the time to update. Thank you for all the lovely reviews/follows/favorites.

* * *

By the time Abigail and Tommy arrived at the party it was already packed with people. She was thankful for the dim lighting, already feeling self-conscious about the little dark green dress she chose to wear. Like most of the outfits she was known for before the island, the dress fell just short of the obscene falling above her mid-thigh. The straps were thin and the top gave a good view of her cleavage. Before, none of this would have embarrassed her but she'd spent a better part of the afternoon trying to cover up as many ugly marks along her skin as she could. Tonight she was celebrating being back with the friends she'd missed so much those five years away.

"Don't be nervous," Tommy yelled into her ear over the pounding music. "They're all here for you."

"And Ollie, well mostly Ollie." She said as he led her to the bar.

"Abbie!" The shrill shriek startled the younger Merlyn. She turned around to see a curly haired blond moving quickly in her direction, before she could really make out who it was she was being embraced. "I'm so happy you're alive."

Abigail pulled back just enough to make sure her ears weren't deceiving her. Sara Lance was wrapped around her body, giving one of her famous bear hugs that Abigail hadn't realized she missed so much. The two girls embraced again, and Abigail found herself jumping with Sara.

"I'm so sorry." Abigail said as she held onto her childhood friend tightly. "Everything I said that day…"

"It's okay, I knew you were just trying to protect me. You were right, I couldn't risk losing Laurel over something I knew was never going to work out. And I'm sorry too, but... you have to admit I was kind of right."

The two girls pulled apart, Sara took a moment to look at her friend fully for the first time in years. Abigail tried her best keep her expression neutral, but the smug look Sara was giving her made her squirm. Then the blonde's face broke out into a smile and that was all Abigail needed to see before she broke out into her own smile. "Damn, Abbie. Maybe I should've got on that boat. Look at you, you're ripped."

The smile Abigail gave her was forced, and she saw Tommy tense beside them. Abigail pulled her eyes away from her friend for a second, scanning to room for anything to pull her away before she took in a deep breath.

"Thanks, Sara. I'm going to mingle." Abigail hugged her one more time, kissing her on the cheek before moving into the crowd.

"Ollie," Abigail sighed in relief when she saw him walking down the stairs. She ran remarkably fast in the four inch heels she had on her feet. Tommy followed after her to meet his friend as well. "You're late." She breathed when she ran up the last few steps to fling her arms around him.

"Sorry," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek.

Tommy motioned for the music to shut off as he came to a stop in front of them both. Abigail tried not to sigh away from the people openly gaping at them now. She tried to remember what it felt like to feed off this sort of attention. She finally released her hold on Oliver and took a step back from him. His hands came to rest on her hips as he stepped in behind her, she could feel the tensing of his muscles as he stood with her.

"Everybody, everybody," Tommy yelled over the crowd. "Most of you remember this beautiful young woman here as my amazing little sister. And this guy, my best friend, needs no introduction. Let's give them the homecoming they deserve."

The crowd erupted into cheers and something inside Abigail clicked. It was like the last five years were just a nightmare she couldn't shake. She had no idea who these people were and they didn't know her but damn it if they didn't still worship her. Oliver was pulling her down the steps and towards a table. He jumped up, reaching down and taking her waist in order to hall her up onto the table top with him. Her dress bunched slightly as his rough hands pulled her against him. There was a round of approving whistles and she tried to ignore the angry shouts of Tommy.

He passes Oliver a shot of Tequila as well as one for Abigail. She throws the shot back, not taking her eyes off Oliver as he copies her actions. He turns to the crowd then, reaching for Abigail and pulling her into his side.

"I missed Tequila." He said, before turning and kissing her. "And I know all of you are probably waiting for that same kid that graced the pages of Starlings society magazines, but this time around it's going to be for different reasons." He reached into his suit pocket and took Abigail's left hand. She felt her heart jolt in her chest as she felt the cold metal of the ring slip onto her finger.

"Oliver," she sighed as she glanced around at the crowd.

"I was never good at the long term relationships, but spending five years with this girl, my closest friend, it feels like I'm already married to her, might as well make it official."

Oliver kept his eyes on her the entire time, trying to gage her reaction. He knew that he probably should have told her what he had planned, but it was worth it to see the shock on her face. Her eyes were glistening with tears as she smiled up at him. She risked a glance back at Tommy, surprised that he hadn't tried to stop Oliver. The feel of his hands slipping over her hips brought her back to the moment, realizing that to everyone else she hadn't actually given him an answer yet. So for the dramatic effect that seemed to be the theme of their party, she threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply. He held her tightly to the front of his body, his hand traveled down from her hips and gripped the back of her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Alright, alright…get a room." Tommy yelled over the cheering crowd.

Abigail practically slid down Oliver's body, her eyes never leaving his as she finally fell onto her feet. She wobbled on her heels for a moment, still holding onto Oliver's arms for support. He leaned down to place one more quick kiss on her lips before he jumped off the platform. He held his arms up for Abigail to take and helped her down.

"Thanks for the heads up, buddy." Tommy said as he wrapped an arm around both his sister and best friend. "Looks like we'll finally be brothers. Family vacations to Switzerland in summer, Ibiza in winter."

"Okay, I'll let you two talk out the new family arrangements. I have some bridesmaids to hunt down." Abigail pushed away from both boys rushing over to the small group of woman, Sara at the center.

"Oh my god!" The young Lance girl cried as she pulled her friend into the huddle, all of the girls grabbing at her hand to get a glimpse of the ring. Abigail barely heard a word they said, her eyes were still locked on where she left her brother and now fiancé to talk.

"Congratulations," Abigail turned at the familiar voice. Sara smiled at her sister, moving to hug her.

"Did you see the ice on her finger?"

"No, but I'm sure I'll get plenty of chances. I just wanted to see you before I left, you and Oliver." Laurel said, keeping a distrance from the group of women. Abigail could feel the chill from her demeanor across the wide expanse.

"I think he just stepped out into the hall. I'll go find him." Abigail pulled away from three women that were snapping pictures of her ring.

"That's okay, I'm heading out that way?"

Abigail's eyes scanned the crowd, catching a glimpse of Oliver ushering Laurel out of the party. Her chest clenched as she watched his hand linger on the small of Laurel's back. She turned back to the bar, leaning over the side to get the bartender's attention. She'd need a lot more tequila if she was going to make it through the night.

"Whoa, slow down there, Abbie." Sara laughed as she slid in next to her friend. "Everything alright?"

"I just got engaged to Starling's most eligible bachelor," Abigail said as she took another shot of tequila. "I couldn't be better."

Sara took a shot of her own as she watched Abigail carefully. "You know, if you ever want to talk about…anything, I'm always here for you."

Abigail turned, for a moment her resolve faltered. She wanted nothing more than to tell her best friend everything. A buzzing from her small purse pulled her attention away as she checked her phone. Her alarm signaling that it was ten o'clock. She turned back to Sara, smiling sweetly.

"I need to find my fiancé, you know there's no telling what he and Tommy can get up to when they're unattended."

Sara nodded in understanding as she watched her friend disappear into the crowd. Abigail walked out into the lobby of the building. She saw Laurel leaving, Oliver watching her disappear down the stairs. In that minute Abigail stood frozen, all of her insecurities came flooding back.

"Oliver," she called out to him. "It's time."

With a single nod, he moved towards her and took her hand. Abigail followed after him as they moved through the back of the building. She practically ran beside him as he walked down the corridor. Her body was already being flooded with adrenaline. To say she was nervous would be an understatement. She was terrified more so than the last time Oliver suited up in the hood. The tight squeeze he gave her hand made her believe that he knew exactly what she was thinking. With a slight tug of her arm, he brought her to his side and slung his arm around her shoulder.

"Something I can help you with, Mr. Queen?" Diggle's voice startled Abigail as she felt Oliver pull her a little closer into his side.

"We just wanted a moment to ourselves, we did just get engaged." Abigail smiled brightly as she leaned a little more heavily into Oliver's side, her hand slid suggestively across his abdomen. He let out a breathy laugh as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

"We don't know each other yet, Ms. Merlyn, but you'll learn I'm pretty good at reading through bullshit." Abigail scoffed as she shared an annoyed look with Oliver. "The party's this way."

She stepped away from Oliver, keeping her eyes on the hallway as he faked opening the doors.

"They're locked." He said, moving to the side for Diggle to step in.

Abigail took two steps before she had her arms wrapped around the bodyguard, putting him in a hold that would render him unconscious. Oliver took over watching the hallway. A small smirk graced his lips as he watched Abigail lower the much larger man to the floor. She let out a small sigh as she stared down at the man, thinking that under different circumstances she would like John Diggle.

"Watch him. I'll be back in fifteen." He kissed the top of her head before jogging down the hallway.

It was the longest twenty minutes of Abigail's life as she waited for Oliver to come back into the building. When he finally made it, she noticed that he had an almost imperceptible limp. He was still buttoning up his shirt as he met her.

"That was longer than fifteen minutes." Abigail sighed as she pushed off the wall to meet him. She swatted away his hands and took over the job of fixing his clothes.

"What? You miss me already?" She glared up at him before playfully punching him in the side. He let out a laugh, before finally noticing she was making him look worse. "What are you doing?"

"We were gone for nearly half an hour, do you want an alibi or not?" She sighed before stepping back and running her hands haphazardly through her hair. Her hand tugged at her dress to move it out of place, before she was able to meet Oliver's questioning gaze again. "What?"

"Come here," the crooked smile on his face brought out a smile of her own.

He ran his hand through her hair a few times, letting the dark curls catch between his fingers before he used his hold to draw her towards him. In a blink of an eye he was leaning down, pressing his lips to hers. Abigail melted into the kiss, her hand coming up to wrap around his wrists and pull him even closer to her. Her lips slanted over his, opening as his tongue ran along her lower lip. A playful smile broke across her lips as he pulled away and peppered sucking kisses along his neck and chest. Her hands moved from his wrists, slipping into his hair and raked her nails through the short cut.

It wasn't until Oliver was pressing her back against a wall and hitching her leg over his hip that Abigail finally gave into the charade they started. She pulled him closer against her, hooking both legs around his waist. Her hands fell to his neck as she pulled his mouth back to hers. Again they lost themselves in the kiss, Abigail's tongue fighting for dominance with his. When the need to breath became too much, Oliver pulled back resting his forehead against hers. She put her left hand against his cheek, the cool metal of her ring a stark contrast against his heated skin. He turned his face to the side, placing a kiss against her palm.

The moment was lost as the thumping of the bass from the ballroom came to an abrupt stop. There was a chance that Tommy was making some sort of drunken toast, but it was more than likely the cops interrupted after seeing where the vigilante had gone after leaving Adam Hunt's office.

"We should get in there." Oliver sighed as he stepped away from her. Abigail did nothing but nod as she took Oliver's hand and moved back into the room.

"Detective, this is a private party." Oliver said as they reached where Tommy and Lance were talking.

Abigail slipped her arm under Oliver's suit jacket as he and Detective Lance exchanged words. Her eyes connected with her brother's as he shot his friend an amused look. She also didn't miss the narrowing of Lance's eyes as he caught sight of the ring on the hand she had resting across Oliver's waist. The sharp roll of his eyes was enough to bring back her annoyance with their new relationship.

"So you're looking for the hood guy? We can offer an award." She pushed away from Oliver and turned back to the crowd. "Hey everybody, two million dollars to anybody who finds a nut bar in a green hood."

Tommy and Oliver let out a chuckle as the crowd cheered. She returned to the men, Oliver wrapping his arms around her as he held her in front of his chest and gave a defiant smile to Detective Lance. The older man took a step closer to her, staring down at the ring once again.

"Was it just a game to you? Watching him play with my girls' hearts? I practically raised you, Abigail, you ruined their lives and didn't even bat an eye." Detective Lance's partner stepped in then, pulling him away.

"If you'd excuse us, Detective, I just got engaged and would like to celebrate with friends. Sara's around here somewhere." Abigail left the men then, moving back through the crowd to the bar. She was met by Sara who sent a disapproving look towards her father before following her friend.

"Don't listen to him, Abs. We were all a little upset at first. I think he's just trying to get over the fact that you and Oliver came back from the dead as a couple. We all knew that would happen eventually, this is just a little unconventionally." Sara tried to reason with her friend.

"Well, everyone should probably start getting used to it." Abigail said as she threw back a tequila shot before turning at the sound of Oliver's voice yelling over the crowd.

The girls stared at the two men in front of them. Sara gave Abigail a little nudge before turning back to the bar. The brunette's smile faulted as she saw the look cross Oliver's face as he moved away from her brother. In only three steps she was falling in stride with him, his arm coming around her shoulders as they left the party for good this time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Because of the long wait, I decided to put out this short little piece. It didn't fit well with where I wanted the next chapter to go, so I thought why not put it out now. Don't forget to let me know what you think, reviews help me update faster.**

* * *

"Congratulations," Abigail said as she walked down the stairs to the basement of the old factory.

Oliver was sitting in front of the computer set up, staring down at his father's face on a booklet cover. Abigail could tell by the tension in his shoulders that he was battling demons of his own. She didn't say more, just placed a hand on his shoulder as she carefully lowered herself onto his lap. His arm wrapped around her, holding her closely against him. She turned her attention to the computer screen as the money from Adam Hunt's account was being put back into its rightful place.

"Are you ready to head home?" She asked, running her hand along his forearm.

"In a minute," he said softly. He leaned into her, rested his head against her shoulder as they continued to watch the bank accounts fill.

He knew that he probably wouldn't feel this kind of contentment again. Having Abigail in his arms and the first successful mission finished it was the first time in too long that he felt like things might actually turn out okay. It was foolish to think that their lives could go back to being easy after everything they'd went through, but for a moment Oliver let himself indulge in the idea.

The feel of Abigail's fingers moving across his forearm lightly drew him back to reality. Her eyes were focused on the image of his father and he squeezed her middle a little tighter. His eyes caught the sparkle of the diamonds on her finger.

"He'd be really proud of you, Oliver." She said, turning to give him a smile. "I am too."

"Come on, let's head home." Oliver said as his hands moved to her waist and helped her back to her feet.

Abigail moved to the stairs, reaching behind her for Oliver's hand. She waited for him to finish shutting off the lights before he took her hand and followed her up the stairs. A small part of her knew that she should probably head home. The news of their engagement wasn't going to sit well with her father, but as she slipped onto the back of Oliver's motorcycle there was no other place she wanted to be.

"Make yourself at home, I'm going to take a shower." Oliver said as he pushed open his bedroom door.

Abigail wasn't sure why she suddenly felt nervous to be here. Since their return she'd spent almost every night in this same room. Shakily her hands ran through her hair, and her finger got caught on a curl. It was then that she realized why there was a heaviness in her gut. This wouldn't be like all those other nights, this wasn't about them needing protection or comfort, this was two people sharing a bed out of a mutual desire to spend the rest of their lives together.

She'd be lying if she didn't admit it was slightly terrifying.

Standing in the middle of the room, Abigail didn't realize how long it had been until she saw Oliver walk out of the bathroom with a towel tied low around his hips. He moved around the bed to the closet, finally knocking her out of her daze.

"I'm taking a shower." She called out, already working the straps of her dress off her arms.

She showered quickly, taking a moment to look herself over in the large mirror. Oliver left his white dress shirt on the floor and she pulled in on before finishing towel drying her hair. The warmth radiated off her skin from the water, and the shirt still held some of Oliver's residual heat as well as the mix of his cologne from earlier. It was like a safety blanket. She only did up a few buttons, taking a deep calming breath before heading back into the bedroom.

It was stupid to be nervous, that much she knew, but if they picked up where the started back at the club it was going to change everything. Abigail stepped out of the bathroom only to fall heavily against the door frame as she took in Oliver laid out across the bed. His chest bare, hair still damp from his shower, and one arm thrown across his face. She could tell from his heavy breathing that he was already asleep.

With a small smile on her face she moved towards him slowly, leaning down to press a kiss against the underside of his jaw before her fingers returned to the buttons on the shirt. She worked on hiding her exposed skin as she moved to the closet to put on a pair of shorts. A feeling of lightness overtook her, as things began to feel normal again.

That was until she saw her phone light up from the nightstand, her father's face flashing across the screen. She knew explaining all of this to her dad was not going to be a fun task, but it was something she'd have to make him understand. She ignored the call, deciding to roam the halls until her body was ready to give into exhaustion.

After at least an hour of walking the elegantly lined halls of that mansion, Abigail found herself in a familiar room, one she hadn't stepped into since coming home. It was the study Robert had used as a home office. She'd been in it dozens of times as a child. Even more as a teenager with Tommy and Oliver stealing the good scotch from the wet bar.

She couldn't bring herself to touch anything, it seemed as though Moira had decided to keep it exactly as her late husband had left it. A small, irrational part of Abigail's brain thought that he might turn around at any second in the chair behind the desk with an 'I told you so' on his lips and a knowing glance at her left hand. It was foolish how many times she dreamt of that scenario playing out over the years.

"Heavy isn't it?" Abigail jumped at the sound of Moira's voice behind her.

The older woman moved further into the room, still looking as elegant as ever in her silk night gown and robe. Abigail suddenly became very conscious of the fact that she'd opted to wear Oliver's shirt to bed and a pair of boxers. She knew what it looked like, and it was probably good for their cover, but the fact remained that the two had barely laid a hand on each other since entering the house. Abigail's eyes finally fell down to where Moira was reaching for her hand.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from my son." She said as she gently ran her thumb over the ring on Abigail's finger.

It was then that the younger woman finally took in her new piece of jewelry. The diamonds sparkled even in the dim lighting of the study. Abigail couldn't help but agree that the ring screamed Oliver, even now. The large center diamond had to be close the four carats and on either side a smaller diamond most likely two carats each before trailing down to three smaller diamonds on either side of the band. She knew it was a white gold band, the years of getting extravagant gifts from her father taught her what the metal looked and felt like.

"It was a ten carat diamond necklace." Moira said softly as she held up the ring to catch a little more of the moonlight streaming in from the window. "Robert gave it to me the day Oliver was born. I hated the thing, it was heavy and Oliver was constantly trying to rip it off my neck."

"Oh god, I didn't know." Abigail balked at the idea of wearing Moira's diamond, starting to slide the ring off her finger. "Oliver just picked it up…"

"No, sweetheart," Moira smiled. "Robert had it cut and turned into a ring, but I never did get a chance to wear it. I think even if I had, he would have wanted you to have it. I small part of me always knew Oliver would have asked for it one day. We always knew you'd be the one that brought our little boy back to us."

"How?" Abigail asked as she self-consciously twisted the ring on her finger.

"Oh Abby, you two have been inseparable from the day you learned to walk, even before then really. It wasn't just one thing, but that day I saw you on the dock with Oliver, I couldn't help but think it was a good idea for you two to spend time together."

"You're probably the only one that thought that."

"Robert did." Moira said softly. "He had been trying to force you two together for years."

"Well, I guess he'd be happy with us then." Abigail smiled sadly down at her ring.

"And you're father? Have you spoken to Malcolm yet?"

"No, but after tonight, I'm sure the whole world knows we're engaged. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Abbie," Oliver's voice called from the hall. The panic that laced her name made her heart sink as she saw him glance into the room before visibly relaxing when their eyes met. "Is everything okay?"

Abigail nodded as Oliver moved into her space, he took her waist in his hands as he visibly checked her over for his own piece of mind. Moira stood silently beside them, watching their interaction. Abigail held onto his forearms as she waited for the panic to leave his eyes.

"I was just telling Abigail the story behind her ring." Moira said with a small smile on her face. "I'm surprised you didn't tell her about it."

"Probably because he knew I wouldn't have taken it." Abigail said as she sent a glare up to Oliver.

"I should let you two get some rest, tomorrow is a big day." Moira smiled on last time, reaching out and placing a hand on both of their cheeks. "I'm so happy for you."

"What's tomorrow?" Abigail asked as she moved her gaze from Oliver to Moira.

"The court hearing to bring us back from the dead." Oliver reminded her. Abigail pulled back with wide eyes.

"Oh God, I completely forgot. I was going with my dad."

"I'm sure he'll meet you there," Oliver said as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Let's go back to bed."

The couple moved out of the room, Oliver steering her back towards the bedroom. She let her arms wrap around his middle, feeling comforted by the feel of having his body pressed against hers. The hand he had on her shoulder slipped under the gaping material of the shirt and his fingers drew absent shapes across her skin.

He moved them towards the bed, Abigail crawled across the mattress, taking the left side that was quickly beginning to become her side of the bed. Oliver followed after her, sliding under the covers. Abigail turned onto her side, moving into Oliver and allowing him to fold her into his arms. Her left hand fell across his chest, the ring making her hand feel as though it sat heavier on his solid chest.

"Are you happy?" Abigail asked as she nuzzled into Oliver's neck.

His hand came up to grasp hers, his thumb running over the diamonds. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to the top of her head. "More than I have been in a long time."

"Mhmm," Abigail murmured sleepily. "Me too."


	8. Chapter 8

Abigail jerked awake, her body tense and breathing heavy. She reached out, finding the bed beside her had grown cold and Oliver was nowhere to be found. Panic spiked in her chest, her heart pumping faster as she searched around the room before flying out of the bed. She stepped over her heels, she'd left haphazardly thrown around the room.

"Oliver," she called as she moved towards the bathroom. "Ollie?"

She stumbled against the door, catching herself on the frame, as she heard her cell phone go off. Suddenly, her head began to pound and all the shots from the night before came back. Reaching across the nightstand, she swiped her finger across the screen before putting it against her ear.

"Oliver?" She breathed into the receiver.

"Abigail, where are you?" The stern voice of Malcolm Merlyn came over the line, and again panic sunk her stomach.

"Dad, I'm sorry. After the party I went home with Ollie." She stepped out into the hall, quietly padding her way towards the stairs. "I'm heading back home now. I need to change before court." She hung up before he could say anymore as she moved towards the voices in the house.

"Morning sis," Thea smiled as she popped a blueberry into her mouth. Abigail gave her a weak smile as she hugged her arms around her chest. "Well, come on. We want to see the bling."

Abigail took a tentative step towards the kitchen island where Thea and Raisa were waiting. She held out her hand, forcing herself to get used to the attention. Thea nearly choked on her orange juice as she took in the dazzling diamonds.

"Oh my god, that's like what...eight carats?"

"Ten, at least that's what your mother told me."

"Wow, I'm really impressed. Who knew my brother could buy jewelry." Thea laughed as she took Abigail's hand and showed Raisa.

"Speedy, can the fawning wait until after breakfast?" Oliver said as he breezed into the kitchen.

Abigail visibly relaxed as soon as she laid eyes on him. The fact that he walked directly to her and wrapped his arms around her waist also helped in ebbing her panic filled veins. He kissed the side of her neck before turning his attention back to the other women in the room.

"Do you think we could get some of those world famous pancakes?" Oliver smiled as he and Abigail sat at the bar beside Thea.

"Anything for you, Mister Oliver." She smiled at him, placing her hand on his cheek before moving around the kitchen.

"Raisa, how come you never ran away with me? After all the offers Tommy and I gave you, why did you stick with these too spoiled brats?" Abigail teased, earning a shocked look from Thea and a poke to her side from Oliver.

"Sorry, Miss Abigail, but I couldn't leave these two." The Queen siblings beamed at their nanny turned housekeeper.

"Well, I'll just have to take advantage of my time here then."

"You mean the time your supposed to spend with me?" Oliver asked as he pulled her back into his chest.

"Nope, sorry brother of mine, but you're gonna have to learn to share. We have a wedding to plan." Thea shared a look with Raisa.

"Maybe we shouldn't have done this publicly. Now I have to share you with everyone." Oliver leaned down to kiss her temple, still holding her against his front.

"That was your poor decision, not mine."

Abigail glanced at the clock on the wall and shagged against Oliver. There were only a few hours left until they were due in court and she wasn't looking forward to reliving what happened to them just yet. She liked where they were now, this happy little space in time. They sat quietly, listening to Thea complain about school and how she was looking forward to graduation. Raisa cooked silently near them as the smell of pancakes filled the room, before placing plates in front of all three with a small stacks. Abigail absently ran her fingers up and down Oliver's forearms that were locked around her waist, as they ate in relative quiet.

"Where were you this morning?" Abigail spoke softly, too nervous to break the atmosphere.

"Went for a run. Sorry, I didn't want to wake you."

"Next time, leave a note." She smiled before slipping out of his embrace. "I need to head home and get ready."

"You can borrow something of mine." Thea piped up.

"Thanks, Thea, but I really need to see my dad. Are you going to be there today?" Thea stood to embrace her soon to be sister-in-law.

"Maybe, I've already seen Ollie in court what...three times."

"Four by my court." Tommy said as he walked into the kitchen. The two girls pulled apart as the other man joined them.

"Thanks, Tommy." Oliver sighed.

"What're brother's for, right?"

"For taking their sister's home." Abigail said as she moved towards her brother. "We're riding with Dad to the courthouse. Let me change and then we'll get out of here."

"I'll head up with you." Oliver said as he got up and followed her out of the room.

"No fooling around guys, we've got places to be." Tommy yelled after the couple.

Thea and Tommy shared a knowing look as they watched Oliver and Abigail disappear up the stairs. Abigail moved to where she'd left her dress from the night before. She didn't want to put the clothing back on, but there wasn't much choice she had. Without hesitating she unbuttoned her top and stepped out of the boxer shorts. She hadn't realized Oliver was still in the room until his heavy hand fell on her shoulder.

Momentarily shocked, she froze at the contact before relaxing as his hand gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Carefully, he slipped his fingers under the material and pulled the shirt off her back. Letting the material fall to the floor, Abigail felt skin prickle as it was exposed to the chill of the room, but it was the heat radiating off of Oliver that caused her heart to tighten in her chest.

She wasn't sure when he'd stripped himself of his shirt, but the feeling of her bare back being pressed against the skin of his chest made a warmth course through her veins. Slowly his fingers moved over her hips, drawing her against him. Her abdominal muscles jumped as his fingers teasingly moved over her stomach and up to her chest. With a moan she let her head fall back against his shoulder, turning her head to brush her lips under his jaw.

Her hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer and pressing her lips over his. He met her hungrily, his lips moving over hers before sweeping his tongue against her lips. She moaned, allowing him to slip his tongue between her lips. Abigail turned quickly in his arms, pressing her bare chest to his. Her arms went around his neck as they lost themselves in the taste and feel of one another. She let out a squeak as he lifted her against him, his lips moving from hers down her neck as her legs wrapped around his waist. Pulling back slightly, she placed both hands on the side of his neck as she smiled down at him before leaning in and kissing him.

Oliver moved towards the bed and carefully laid her down on the comforter. His body covered hers as her hands moved down his sides and her thumbs hooked into his boxers. Instinctively she lifted her hips towards his. Oliver let out a deep moan, his head falling into the crook of her shoulder.

"Damn it, we can't." His breath was like flames licking at the skin of her neck.

Abigail's arms fell heavily against the mattress as Oliver rolled off of her, putting some much needed space between them. "Please tell me this isn't you wanting to keep to the wedding night tradition, because I don't think I can wait that long."

"Definitely not," he gave her a smile before placing a kiss on her hair and moving off the bed. "And trust me, it's hurting me a lot more than it's hurting you."

He let out a low chuckle as he moved into the closet and pulled out a suit. Slowly, Abigail rolled onto her side to watch as he moved about the room. She could see this becoming a normal recurrence in their life together. Lying in bed as she watched him get ready for work, Abigail knew that this was the beginning of a live she'd always seen herself having.

"I was thinking about bringing some of my stuff here. Clothes mostly, if that's alright?" She watched him carefully, drawing on the extensive knowledge she'd learned over the years on how to read him.

"That's a good idea. You're here most of the time anyway." He stared at her for a moment longer, wanting nothing more than to move back to her side. "I'm going to shower and then we should leave."

Abigail nodded, slipping off the bed and walking towards him. She picked his shirt off the floor and pulled it over her head before coming to a stop in front of him. "Make it quick, and probably cold." She reached up onto her toes and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before walking out of the bedroom.

After taking a few clothes from Thea, Abigail found herself sitting in the living room with Tommy. The siblings sat at opposite ends of the couch, each lost in their own thoughts. Absently, Abigail spun the ring on her finger.

"Maybe we should head home. I need to change into something a respectable girl should wear to court and I'm sure Dad's going crazy." She stood, running her hand through her hair.

"You don't want to wait for Oliver?" Tommy watched her closely for a moment before standing up.

"I'll let him know we're leaving."

Abigail took the stairs two at a time, walking into Oliver's room without hesitation. She stopped in her tracks as she watched him pull his pants over his hips, his dress shirt hanging off his shoulders unbuttoned. He looked up when he heard the door open.

"Give me five minutes." He told her.

"Actually, I think I'm going with Tommy. We're meeting Dad and the lawyers at the mansion before meeting with the judge." She stayed close to the door, knowing if she moved further into the room it would only give him the ability to stop her.

"You don't want to do it together?" He stepped towards her, but Abigail only took another step towards the door at her back.

"Don't think I can handle a judge and a few paps?" She gave him a playful smirk before turning to the door.

"Everyone knows we're together by now, Abbie. If that's what..."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it. I want to do this alone, need to." She moved towards him then giving his fingers a squeeze before moving through the threshold. "I'll see you after."

It was later that afternoon, as Abigail was waiting out of the judge's chambers followed by her attorney and father that she realized her mistake. Tommy had gone back to be with Oliver, the ever supportive friend and that only made her feel even more guilty. She was supposed to be marrying him, spending the rest of her life with him and wasn't with him during the hardest part of their return.

"I can't do this."

"All you have to do is explain how the ship went down, Ms. Merlyn. The judge just needs to know that there was a wreck and you were stranded on an island." The lawyer spoke as if she was a child.

"No, I don't want to do this without Oliver. He's going to stand in front of a room of strangers and tell our story. How is that fair?"

"We did this for you, Abbie." Malcolm said, taking her hand in his much larger one. It never failed to make her feel like a child again. "I don't want the ordeal that you went through to be a cover story. You are a strong woman, just like your mother, but if you go in there with Oliver and hold his hand as he tells the story what will that look like to everyone else? You love him and that is something I will have to get used to, but you two have been attached at the hip since coming home and it looks more like Stockholm Syndrome than a fairytale ending."

"You think that this is somehow his fault?" Abigail pulled out of his hold and stood from the wooden bench. "Do you think he gave me these scars too?"

"Abigail," Malcolm stood as well, easily standing over her and taking control of the conversation once again. "I think you need to walk into that room and tell the judge what happened, then we're going to meet with the Merlyn Global PR team and talk about making a proper announcement of your continued involvement with Oliver."

"You mean engagement?" She held up her left hand, placing the outrageous ring on display.

"Yes," the sigh he let out meant he had a lot more to say on the matter but it wasn't the place or time.

"Ms. Merlyn, we're ready for you." A clerk stepped out of the now open doors. Father and daughter still staring at each other, the attorney was the first to move.

"He doesn't deserve you." Malcolm said quietly as she steered her towards the open doors. "There are very few people in the world that deserve the amount of love you give them, you have such a big heart. You're too good."

"I'm not the same little girl that ran around in tutus, Dad. I don't think good describes me anymore."

"Ms. Merlyn, please." The clerk urged to pair on and this time Abigail didn't fight the push from her father to walk into the room.

"He doesn't deserve you." Abigail cringed against the deep, accented voice. Recounting the events of the wreck had been harder than she thought and memories that she'd sworn she'd buried deep into her subconscious were fighting their way back to the surface.

Abigail splashed water over her face. In the harsh lighting of the bathroom, she took in her appearance. Her carefully placed curls were nearly unrecognizable after the amount of times her fingers had worked through them, and her make up was running around her eyes from the tears that had fallen without her permission. With shaking hands she fixed herself as best she could before steeling her resolve and facing the world once again. She knew Oliver would be finishing up soon, and she wanted to be there when we walked out.

Sitting in the hall, she was glad she convinced her father to leave. She couldn't remember another time in her life that he'd been so attentive to her. Flashes of memories worked behind her eyes and she squeezed her lids shut trying to block them out. The last thing she wanted to do was relive her time on Lian Yu. As much as she wanted to believe that something good came out of her years away, there only seemed to be suffering on the god forsaken island.

"Abs." She stood up from the bench when she heard Tommy calling out to her. Oliver was a few steps behind him speaking quietly with his mother, probably reassuring her that all the trauma's experienced weren't as bad as she imagined. Abigail had done the same to her father.

Moira stopped for a moment to give embrace Abigail before she and Walter left the three. "So it went well." Abigail gave a weak smile as she easily moved into Oliver's side. He wrapped an arm around her and his warmth seemed to shake the chill of the memories out of her mind. "Please tell me we are done with the back from the dead stories. I don't think I can relive that damn boat sinking one more time."

Oliver laughed and placed a kiss on top of her head. She reached across him to give Tommy's hand a squeeze before the trio began moving towards the exit. They came to another stop as they nearly ran into Laurel. Oliver's hold went lax against Abigail's waist.

"Hi Laurel," Abigail was the first to speak.

"What are you doing here?" Her eyes shifted between the couple, looking as though she were ready to bolt.

"They were bringing us back from the dead, legally speaking." Oliver finally spoke up.

Laurel gave them a tight lipped smile. "I guess that's important, you can't get married if you're both dead now can you. Excuse us, we can't be late." Laurel stepped around the couple, Joanna and her client following closely behind.

"That's not getting any easier any time soon, is it?" Abigail sighed as she felt Tommy take her arm and guide her towards the exit.

"Shake it off both of you, she'll come around eventually. Maybe." Tommy tried to sound optimistic.

Abigail stared up at him, watching him closely as he fidgeted under her scrutiny. "Why does it feel like you're holding out on me?" She asked, poking his side painfully and causing him to step away from her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The siblings once again came to a stop on the steps leading away from the building as Oliver watched the interview with Martin Somers. Abigail already knew what he was thinking. She stepped close to him, urging him to continue down the steps before the reports saw them as well.

Unfortunately they were too late and as soon as the distraction of Somers was gone, the cameras and questions were pointed at Oliver and Abigail. Protectively he tucked her into his side as he moved them towards the car. Diggle already stepping around to make sure they made it in safely. Once the door slammed shut behind them, Abigail tried not to laugh or even smile as she watched Oliver move into the front seat and speed off with the car.


End file.
